Headlines

Barcelona will be hoping Lionel Messi does not suffer a hangover from his UEFA Champions League penalty miss at Manchester City as they look to bounce back from a Liga defeat to Malaga this weekend... Read more

Lionel Messi scored a record-equalling 23rd La Liga hat-trick in his 300th La Liga appearance as Barcelona hammered Levante 5-0 to keep up the pressure on league leaders Real Madrid on Sunday... Read more

Unai Emery needs to find a way to reenergise his Sevilla outfit in La Liga, while Atletico Madrid are on a high.
Sevilla host struggling Cordoba on Saturday, but they go into the clash having lost three of their past four league matches... Read more

About

Valencia Club de Fútbol was founded in 1919. Behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, the club is the third biggest in Spain based on total number of supporters and also the third most successful, winning a total of six La Liga titles and seven Copa Del Rey trophies.

After the Spanish Civil War, the club emerged as one of the country's major forces, winning the league in 1941–42, repeating the success in 1943–44 and adding a third La Liga win in 1946–47. This successful period would stand alone in the club's history for a number of decades, although during the 1960s the club won two UEFA Fairs Cups and under the management of Alfredo Di Stéfano, the club won another league title in 1970–71. During the 1980s, the Valencia were relegated from the Primera División, although they returned after just one season in the Segunda División.

The early 2000s saw the arrival of another era of great success, with the club reaching two successive Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001. Although they lost on both occasions, the club became established as a major European heavyweight. Under the management of Rafael Benitez, whilst playing some of the most attractive attacking football in Europe, Valencia went on to win league titles in 2001–02 and 2003–04 and the UEFA Cup in 2003–04 as well. Disputes with the club's director of football saw Benitez resign in 2004. Though the club has so far failed to achieve the same level of success as it did under his management, Valencia did with the Copa Del Rey in 2007–08 beating Getafe 3-1.

Since 1923, the club has played home matches at the Mestalla Stadium. With its steep terracing and 55,000 capacity, it is widely regarded as one of the most unique and intimidating football stadiums in Europe. However, in 2013 the club is set to move into the Nou Mestalla, a 75,100 seater stadium.